Siphon cover for the daylight developing of dental radiographic film with incorporated developer and fixing material



July 20, 1965 1.. DECROP SIPHON COVER FOR THE DAYLIGHT DEVELOPING OFDENTAL RADIOGRAPHIC FILM WITH INCORPORATED DEVELOPER AND FIXING MATERIAL2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1', 1963 INVENTOR Louis 1.. DECROP L. L.DECROP SIPHON COVER FOR THE DAYLIGHT DEVELOPING OF DENTAL RADIOGRAPHICFILM WITH INCORPORATED DEVELOPER AND FIXING MATERIAL Filed March 1, 1963JuI ZO, 1965 3,195,436

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Louis L. DEcRoP United States Patent SIPHGNCOVER FGR THE DAYIJIGHT DEVELQP- ENG 0F DENTAL RADIOGRAPHIC FILM WITHINCORPORATED DEVELOPER AND FIXING MATERIAL Louis Lucien Deer-op, 10 Ave.Niquet, Antihes, Alpes Maritirnes, France Filed Mar. 1, 1953, Ser. No.262,120 Claims priority, application France, Mar. 7, 1962, 7,001, Patent1,326,421; Feb. 12, 1963, 924,565, Patent 83,048

" 20 Claims. (Cl. 95-90) The invention relates to a siphon case for thedaylight developing of radiographic film, more particularly dental film,and is applied, more particularly, to an incorporated developer andfixing medium case, folded, occupying a small space, enabling an easyhandling and positioning at the moment of the radiographic operation.

The object of the invention also has the advantage of being easilyutilizable, and-only requiring the user to fill it with water.

According to the invention, the case into which a sensitized plate isinserted at the bottom part consists of a tubular flexible strip opaqueto light but permeable to X-rays and forming internally compartmentsconnected by siphons to a lower compartment containing the sensitizedplate and having an evacuation orifice at its upper art.

p Various other characteristics of the invention will moreover berevealed by the detailed description which follows.

Forms of embodiment of the object of the invention are shown, by way ofexamples, in the attached drawing.

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of the case according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevation showing the unfolding stage of the case.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation showing the unfolded case.

FIGURE 4 is an elevation-section showing diagrammatically the internalshape of the case.

FIGURE 5 is a partial section, on a larger scale, showing thecharacteristic elements of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is an elevation-section showing diagrammatically a firstalternative of the case.

FIGURE 7 is an elevation-section showing diagrammatically a secondalternative embodiment.

FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatical elevation-section show ing, on a largerscale, another form of embodiment of the case.

According to the drawing, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the case and itsparticular method of folding, enabling it to be reduced to a small sizeensuring a minimum space occupied similar to that of ordinary dentistsX-ray plates.

The case into which a sensitized plate 1 is inserted at the bottom partis formed of a flexible tubular strip 2 of plastic or any other suitableand tightly sealable material, opaque to light, but permeable to X-rays.This flexible strip 2 makes four compartments internally superimposedconnected to each other by an inlet siphon circuit and emerging by asiphon evacuation circuit in a lower compartment 3 containing thesensitized plate.

These compartments as well as the siphons are, for example, delineatedand confined by hot printed separation lines.

Although not shown the assembly thus formed is folded accordion fashionand held by a lateral strip with an opening draw-rod intended to free,during developing, the bellows formed by folding.

The compartments, whose volumes depend on the necessary duration oftreatment and solutions used, may have various shapes. Likewise, theirdistribution may be made in any order provided that the siphon effectand chronology of the treatment operations are complied with.

In the example shown more particularly in FIG. 4, the case comprises adistribution compartment 4 made at the upper end of the case, adeveloper compartment 5, a rinsing compartment 6 and a fixingcompartment 7. The distribution compartment 4 having a filling aperture8, comprises a large delivery channel 9 for the developer compartment 5and two small delivery siphons 10 and 11 respectively for the rinsing 6and fixing compartments 7.

The inlet siphon circuit is completed by an evacuation siphon circuittowards the lowest compartment 3 formed by a small delivery siphon 12extending the developer compartment 5, by a large delivery siphon 13communicating with the rinsing compartment 6 and by a small deliverysiphon 14 connecting the fixing compartment 7 to the processingcompartment 3.

The compartment 3 into which these various siphons emerge, is made bythe walls of the flexible tube closed by an adhesive strip. These wallsalso confine an enclosure 15, into which the sensitized plate 1 isinserted. The upper part of this enclosure forms an inverted V- shapedchamber 16 having a baffle or curved aperture 1'7 at its top part. Thelateral walls of this enclosure, must have a complete opacity to lightbut good permeability to X-rays, forming on their internal face, as canbe seen in FIG. 5, point-shaped granules 18 so as to provide a spacebetween them and the sensitized plate that they hold. In like manner,the adhesive strip has on its internal part serrations 19. Numeral 20denotes the lateral duct aperture emerging at the bottom part of thecase and inside of which the evacuation siphons pour the chemicaltreating solutions.

Developing and fixing salts are placed inside the case described above.They may be placed either in the compartrnents, or in the siphons and,on this account, are easily separated from each other. Their minimumquantity studied for obtaining a correct development only give rise to aslight extra thickness of the case which can thus be easily used fordental purposes. Seeing that these salts are perfectly protected fromdamp or the ambient air by the hermetically sealed case, the solutionsthat they must form afford the advantage of being always fresh at themoment of utilization and can thus be indefinitely preseived.

The case according to the invention puts into operation incorporatedsalt compartments and gives delivery siphons for regulating acirculation of solutions corresponding to the normal stages ofdeveloping a radio-graphic film.

.The inlet and evacuation siphons enable the duration to be establishedof the various stages of development by a calculated fixed delivery timefor each of them. By the simple passage of Water on the developing andfixing salts, the dilutions are made and distributed in the requiredtime and the solutions are directed towards the compartment containingthe sensitized plate.

The developing operation takes place as follows:

The user proceeds to unstick the lateral strip for freeing the variousbellows formed by folding. The assembly, when unfolded, is thensuspended over a bath, washbasin, etc.

The user then proceeds to filling the distribution compartment 4 withWater, which has the effect of starting up the inlet siphons and, inparticular, to ensure the immeditae filling of the developingcompartment 5.

The chronological sequence of the successive operations described aboveis based on an approximate developing duration of three minutes. it isquite obvious that according to the applications sought, this durationcan be different and that, in this case, the delivery of the siphons iscalculated to correspond to the basic time required for developing.

The developing compartment 5 being filled, it will easily be understoodthat the siphon 12 starts up and brings the solution through the duct 21to the aperture in the enclosure 15. This solution has the effect ofwetting completely the sensitized plate from bottom to top, and by theweight of the vertical column of liquid, to separate the lateral wallsfor ensuring a better passage and enable an even development of thesensitized plate. The resulting pressure sets up a certain flow speed ofthe solution and a constant renewal, evacuation taking place through thebaffle or curved aperture 17 into compartment 3 and then through a hole,not shown, in a Wall of the case. It should be noticed that the chamber16 is so shaped as to avoid air pockets or the retaining of solutionand, on the contrary, to speed up evacuation.

As already mentioned above, this operation takes three minutes. Duringthat time, the rinsing compartment 6 is filled with water by the siphoniltl whose delivery is equal to the siphon 12 of the developingcompartment 5.

On this account, the siphon 13is started up and brings pure water intothe enclosure 15. This operation is planned to take place in one minute.When the rinsing compartment is empty, four minutes have elapsed sincethe beginning of developing. This corresponds to the filling time of thefixing compartment 7 by the siphon 11. At this stage of developing, thedistributing compartment 4, whose volume corresponds to the total volumeof the various other compartments 5, 6, and 7, is empty.

The filling of the fixing compartment '7 has the effect of starting upthe siphon 14 and conveying the solution into the enclosure 15 duringtwo minutes, for example. The developing of the sensitized plate isterminated and the whole of the successive operations has only requiredthe user to simply fill the distribution compartment in the first place.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the case according towhich all the siphons have the same passage section but each comprises anarrowed part 22 determining the flow duration. Also, according to thisexample, the lateral duct 21 formed obliquely towards the interior ofthe case confines two diversions 23 and 24 each extending along the twoopposite longitudinal edges and emerging opposite each other at thelower part of the enclosure 15. This particular form of embodiment hasthe advantage of ensuring a better stirring of the solutions along thesensitized plate.

Furthermore, each compartment has appreciably at its highest part, twodraining apertures 25 drilled op- 1 posite to each other. 7

Another form of embodiment is shown in FIG. 7, according to which thecase, confining a single siphon 26, has only one compartment 27. Thedeveloping salts are, for example, placed in a water inlet tube 28,whereas the fixing salts form a capsule 29 at the top part of thecompartment advantageously made of transparent material.

As soon asfilling has taken place, the developing salts are conveyedtowards the base of the tube and in mixing,

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form the developing solution. When the level reached ensures thestarting up of the siphon 26, filling is stopped. The solution is thenconveyed towards the lower compartment. We may consider this operation,similar to the one previously described, as also taking place in threeminutes.

A second filling operation is then necessary when the compartment 27 isempty. But this operation is continued until the compartment is quitefull. It is obvious that during this period, the siphon will again bestarted up. It is thus the rinsing operation that will take place.

When the maximum upper level is reached, the fixing salts are mixed andform the fixing solution; at this moment, filling can be stopped.

This solution is conveyed by the same way into the lower case andterminates the total developing operation.

It is quite clear that this form of embodiment requires a moreconsiderable manual labour time than for the preceding methods ofexecution. Nevertheless, the manufacturing process, and hence, the costprice, are appreciably reduced.

In the form of embodiment shown inFIG. 8, the siphon case is made in atubular strip 30 appreciably shorter than that described above buthaving the same characteristics of flexibility and opacity. This strip30 comprises separation lines 31 and 32 hot printed confining an ovalcircuit 33 extending to a distribution compartment 34 formed in onecorner of the strip by the extension of the oblique line 31 fromtheopposite corner. A filler hole 35 is provided in the top part ofcompartment 34.

The circuit 33, inscribed in the longitudinal and cross dimensions ofthe case, has at its upper curved zone a calibrated aperture 36 providedin the separation line 31 for ensuring communication with'a fixingcompartment 37 confined by this same separation line and a supplementarycurved line 38 printed just at the height of the hole 36 so that thelatter is situated at the lower part of said compartment. Furthermore,the circuit'33 emerges in a compartment 39, called a developingcompartment, confined in a similar manner by a part of the separationline 31 and by a supplementary curved line 40 printed so that thecompartment 39 is adjacent to the compartment 3'7 transversely to thelongitudinal axis of the cover.

Supplementary lines 41 and 42 confine, with vertical extensions of thelines 38 and 40, siphons 43 and 44 respectively connecting thecompartments 37 or 39 to a central duct 45 into which they emerge; duct45 is formed by two curved separation lines 46 and 47 printed from thelines 38 and 40 in diverging directions towards the lower curved part ofthe line 31. Another separation line 48, printed in the space providedbetween the lines 46 and 47, confines with the latter two lateral ducts49 and 50 extending from the central duct 45 and emerging at the lowerpart of an enclosure 51 formed by the internal contour of the line 48and intended to contain a sensitized plate or film 52. 7

It should be noticed that this line 4-8 is so printed that the upperchamber 53, in which a calibrated evacuation aperture 54 is provided,has similar to the preceding embodiments, a particular shape intended toprevent the retaining or forming of air pockets or bubbles. notesgranules intended to ensure, as described above, the spaced positioningof the film or sensitized plate 52 from surrounding walls.

The case of FIG. 8 thus produced also operates with salts in certaincompartments and delivery siphons for regulating a circulation ofsolutions corresponding to normal developing stages.

After the exposure, the user proceeds to remove a lateral strip (notshown) holding the various bellows formed by folding. He then fills,through the hole 35, the distribution compartment 34 and consequentlycauses the entry of the water into the oval circuit '33. The pressureand "particular shape of this circuit favors the total unfolding of thecase, so that the water can reach the level of the calibrated hole 36 bywhich it passes, during a given time, into the fixing compartment 37.The water is also conveyed into the compartment 39 that it fills in anappreciably shorter time, in order to start up the siphon 44 and form,by its passage on the developing salts, a solution which is directed, bythe central duct 45 and the lateral channels 49 and 50, towards thelower part of the enclosure 51 to rise in the latter, by the pressureexerted by the water column, and wet the film or sensitized plate 52.

The end of the developing operation, whose duration is defined infunction of the composition of the salts used and the characteristics ofthe film or sensitized plate, is provided so as to correspond to thetotal filling of the compartment 37 which starts the siphon 43. Thesolution formed by the passage of the water on the incorporated fixingsalts pours through the duct 45 and lateral channels 49 and 50 to bathethe film or sensitized plate 52 in a similar manner to the developingsolution.

It should be noted that in this form of embodiment the suppression ofthe rinsing compartment does not entail any alteration in thefunctioning of the case, seeing that this functioning is based on thepresence of siphons enabling, by their constitution, to regulate acirculation of solutions in function of the chronological sequence ofthe developing operations.

The invention is not limited to the examples of embodiments, shown anddescribed in detail, for various modifications can be applied to itwithout going outside of its scope. In particular, provision may be madeto alter the duration of the successive developing operations bymodifying the characteristics and capacities of the compartments, thedeliveries of the siphons, the height of the water column above theterminal curved hole as well as the diameter of that hole.

I claim:

1. A case for holding, exposure and development of film, comprising aflexible tube formed of material opaque to light but permeable toX-rays, means dividing the tube into a lower compartment for holding asensitized film and at least one upper compartment for holding developerand fixing mediums, at least one siphon connecting the upper compartmentto the lower part of the lower compartment, means for admitting liquidto the upper compartment, and a liquid evacuation opening near the topof said lower compartment.

2. A case for holding, exposure and development of film according toclaim 1, wherein said flexible tube is flat and foldable accordion-likeinto a small packet slightly larger than film positioned in the lowercompartment for exposure to X-rays in a patients mouth, said tube beingunfoldable into a plane during development of the film to position theupper compartment above the lower compartment.

3. A case for film according to claim 1, wherein four upper compartmentsare provided above said lower compartment, said upper compartments eachbeing connected to each other and to the lower compartment by a seriesof siphons and ducts of selected size to provide controlled andsequential liquid delivery to the lower compartment upon filling theuppermost compartment with a liquid.

4. A case according to claim 3, wherein the uppermost compartment is forfilling and distribution of liquid, the next compartment is forretention of a developer, the next lower compartment is empty forreception of rinser liquid and the lowest compartment is for retentionof a fixer, said compartments, siphons and ducts being formed of hotprinted lines sealing the walls of said tube together to separate saidcompartments, siphons and ducts from one another.

5. A case according to claim 3, characterized in that I said siphonshave passage cross sections of equal size but each having a narrowedpart to determine the duration of liquid flow therethrough.

6. A case according to claim 5, wherein certain of said siphons areconnected to the lower compartment by a single passage connected by twobranches extending along opposite sides of the flexible tube.

7. A case according to claim 6, characterized in that each compartmenthas two drain holes drilled in opposite walls and appreciably at itshighest part.

8. A case according to claim 1, characterized in that the lowercompartment is closed at the bottom by an adhesive strip after asensitized film is placed therein, said lower chamber being closed atthe top by an inverted V-shaped wall whose upper part includes saidevacuation opening.

9. A case according to claim 8, characterized in that the tube walls ofthe lower compartment for holding the sensitized film have point shapedgranules on their internal faces for spacing the film.

10. A case according to claim 8, characterized in that said adhesivestrip has corrugations on its inner face for contact with a sensitizedfilm.

11. A case according to claim 1, in combination with fixing salts anddeveloping salts placed within said upper compartments.

12. A case according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises asingle siphon and a single upper compartment, a water inlet duct formedin said upper compartment, developing salts positioned in said waterinlet duct, a capsule containing fixing salts near the to part of theupper compartment, and the Walls of said flexible tube being oftransparent material in the portion forming the upper part of the uppercompartment.

13. A case according to claim 1, wherein said upper compartment is fordistribution of water and is extended by an oval passage leading tolaterally disposed developer and fixer compartments, said developer andfixer compartments each having a siphon leading into a central ductextended by two lateral channels bordering said lower compartment forsensitized film and leading into the bottom thereof.

14. A case according to claim 13, wherein said upper compartment isformed in a flattened, flexible tube by sealing the opposite walls alonga hot printed line extending obliquely from one of the upper corners, afiller hole being formed in the top part of said upper compartment.

15. A case according to claim 14, characterized in that said ovalpassage is formed by two hot printed lines and of which one is connectedto said oblique line defining the distribution compartment.

16. A case according to claim 15, characterized in that said ovalpassage has at the beginning of its upper curved zone at one side acalibrated opening in one of said hot printed lines communicating withthe lower part of one of said fixer and developer compartments.

17. A case according to claim 16, characterized in that said ovalpassage emerges in said developer compartment, said developercompartment being formed by one of the hot printed lines defining saidoval passage and by a supplementary curved line hot printed to positionthe developer compartment adjacent to said fixer compartment andtransversely to the longitudinal axis of the flexible tube.

18. A case according to claim 17, characterized in that twosupplementary hot printed lines together with the vertical extensions ofsaid curved lines form siphons leading from said developer and fixercompartments to said central duct.

19. A case according to claim 18, characterized in that said centralduct is formed by two curved hot printed lines extending in divergentdirections from said curved lines of the fixer and developercompartments and leading to opposite sides of said two lateral channels.7 20. A case according to claim 19, characterized in that said twolateral channels are formed by divergent curved hot printed linesextending said two curved lines of the central duct and a spaced curvedhot printed line partially surrounding and defining said lowercompartment for receiving a sensitized film.

References @ited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Landsing 95-90:Shippard 95- 90 Herradora 95--90 X Ferris 137-124X Bryce et al 137124 XWachta 137124 10 NORTON ANSHER, Priinary Examiner.

1. A CASE FOR HOLDING, EXPOSURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF FILM, COMPRISING AFLEXIBLE TUBE FORMED OF MATERIAL OPAQUE TO LIGHT BUT PERMEABLE TOX-RAYS, MEANS DIVIDING THE TUBE INTO A LOWER COMPARTMENT FOR HOLDING ASENSITIZED FILM AND AT LEAST ONE UPPER COMPARTMENT FOR HOLDING DEVELOPERAND FIXING MEDIUMS, AT LEAST ONE SIPHON CONNECTING THE UPPER COMPARTMENTTO THE LOWER PART OF THE LOWER COMPARTMENT, MEANS FOR ADMITTING LIQUIDTO THE UPPER COMPARTMENT, AND A LIQUID EVACUATION OPENING NEAR THE TOPOF SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT.